Lomas happy to take charge of St Johnstone as Brown departs

Lomas, 37, revealed he had turned down a couple of offers before taking the reins at McDiarmid Park but his due diligence on the Perth club unearthed glowing reports of the support on offer from the chairman.

He said: "I spoke to Derek and Owen and obviously they have got experience of it and they spoke at length of Geoff.

"Although he is stepping down, he is never going to be far away.

"You look at how well Derek and Owen have done, and they have done a great job, but they must have got good support from St Johnstone, and that's what I believe is good for me.

"I need that bit of support and advice, and Geoff is going to be there."